According to TENL program coordinator and professor of linguistics, Hao Sun, “The successful accreditation review provides IPFW students with more confidence in our program and increases our students’ employment opportunities.” Sun, Associate Professor Shannon Bischoff, and other faculty and staff across campus contributed to the data gathering and report writing involved in achieving this prestigious status.

Professor Hardin Aasand (chair, English & linguistics) celebrated this achievement: “Drs. Sun and Bischoff deserve congratulations for the amount of work they performed to attain this national recognition: visiting with area teachers, establishing learning outcomes and assessment strategies to document student success, modifying course content to meet the highest standards expected by TESOL and NCATE. “

Dean Eric Link added, “This national recognition for the TENL program in the College of Arts and Sciences is a testament to the excellent faculty and classroom instruction provided through the Department of English and linguistics. Attaining such recognition takes time and dedication, and Drs. Sun and Bischoff, with the support of the rest of the department, are committed to the program and to providing the students in the TENL program a world-class education.”

While the alumni of the TENL program have been very successful in employment opportunities, this “national recognition status” provides prospective employers with an additional indicator of the quality of education and career preparation candidates from IPFW’s TENL program has obtained by certifying that the program meets the highest professional standards for P–12 teaching in the field.

For more information on the TENL program, this award, or other questions, please contact Professor Hao Sun, English and linguistics, sunh@ipfw.edu, 260-481-6775.

**A shorter version of this release dated September 6, 2016, can be found in the IPFW Newsroom.